The present invention refers to an innovative hull-less naval vessel and more particularly to a floating support structure for a vessel.
As it is known, from a constructional point of view the main element of a naval vessel is the hull, which fulfils various functions. First of all, it is a structural element of the vessel and moreover it ensures the floating by providing the necessary buoyancy, it allows the travel in the liquid medium through a suitable hydrodynamic shape and it provides a support structure on which cabins, garages for motor vehicles, holds for goods, etc. are realised.
Over time the hull has continually been improved in its structure and in its hydrodynamic qualities with the objective of obtaining an ever-higher navigational speed with the least possible expenditure of propulsive energy.
These improvements have a limit, however, imposed by the physical characteristics of the liquid medium, which resists the movement with its density and viscosity, which are much greater than those of air.
The starting point for the construction of an innovative naval vessel that allows a real and significant energy saving was to criticise and thus to overcome the concept of hull.
During the movement a hull is called upon to move a volume of liquid proportional to the size of its submerged part. Furthermore, there will also be a resistance due to the friction with the liquid, the generation of a train of waves due to the movement of the hull and the generation of eddies due to the rotation of the propellers. All these factors contribute to increase the overall resistance to the forward movement of the hull through the water.
Thus, it is noted that the energy expenditure to increase the speed rapidly becomes very great as the speed increases.
In order to increase the speed, to save energy and to overcome the limits imposed by the liquid medium, designers tend to raise the vessel structure from the water as much as possible so that the movement takes place mainly and as far as possible in the air.
Hydrofoils, hovercrafts and gliding hull boats have thus been developed, based on the common principle of making the hull emerge from the water as much as possible when a certain speed is exceeded. However, to obtain this result it is necessary to use very powerful engines with a high-energy expenditure. As a result, said principle cannot normally be applied to large vessel such as the large commercial boats, remaining confined to the fast transport of passengers on limited distances. Moreover, vessels realised according to this principle (gliding hull) generally find themselves in difficulty if the sea is rough.